User blog:Silent Andromeda/Hellfire: Chapter 22
Previous: Chapter 21 Attempt The loose backdoor panels were slammed open as the elite Falcon soldier fell out backwards with Sardec. Sardec held the soldier's right arm upwards, pointing his AST-KK assault rifle toward the sky. The commotion alerted the other two elite soldiers minding the vehicle's cockpit. They checked to see Sardec removing the pinned soldier's helmet and punching his exposed face. They scrambled with their backpacks, attempting to reach for their AST-KKs. Sardec threw the free helmet at one soldier's head, and tossed the HBS-VI Phantom light sword at the other soldier, striking his chest with the hilt. With the two reinforcements stunned, Sardec grabbed the AST-KK from the pinned soldier, stood to his feet, and charged at the two stunned men, striking each of them with the butt of the rifle one at a time, knocking them unconscious. He walked over to the formerly pinned soldier and saw that he was slowly getting up. He then struck him with the butt of the rifle, knocking him unconscious. "I told you it was too dark", he said. Aftermath Sardec had finished removing all the weapons and equipment from the unconscious soldiers and gathered them all into a pile, save for one AST-KK. He set his Phantom to a light bow and shot at the pile to the point beyond repair. He stepped back into the back of the truck and took a look at the contents of the containers, only to find out they were all empty. He removed the containers and stuffed the unconscious soldiers into the back of the vehicle, locking the door by jamming their broken equipment into the door handles. Sardec held his helmet in his hands as he looked around the open woodsy area. He let out a deep sigh and wondered why this is happening to him. "Kellogg has betrayed me. Is the entire UNCC going to try to kill me? N...Nikida?" Sardec let out a loud curse in the empty space. He sat down and placed his Krypton helmet to the side. "Maybe I should go back to Earth and move in with Mark. There would be no Kartinava to bother us. He has food, shelter, and animals in his subjugation. Only the general could prove a threat. They wouldn't dare come after us alone." At that moment, he remembered of Gajuro's overwhelming strength, Radian's cunning mind, and Murak's tenacity. "If not alone, they would develop the tools for their armies to withstand the virus, like some sort of breathing apparatus." He placed his hands over his face and let out a deep sigh. He groaned at the severity of his situation. "Only... Only one option remains." He laughed at himself. "Like I could ever do this all by myself..." He slammed his fist on the grass. "I have to get those virus copies back. It's the only way." Sardec put his helmet back on and got up on his feet. He commandeered the transport drill and retreated underground. Former Home Nightfall had covered the sky as Sardec got closer to F.H. Cavern. He came to the surface, in a meadow that hid the nearby cave system. He reached the cavern's ceiling, taking note of the dead leaves and tree branches used to cover the manmade seals of the natural holes. He looked around for an opening and found traces of erosion. He put his head on the ground, listening for human activity. Hearing nothing, Sardec determined most of them must be sleeping. He jabbed the Phantom sword into the ground, scraping away at the eroding rock. After several jabs, he had made a small hole. He removed his helmet and stuck his eye through the small hole. The area was clear. Sardec made more cuts in the ground, making the hole wide enough to fit through. He placed the Phantom in his backpack and slowly made his way through the hole. He had hung from the hole, having no choice but to drop down about a story. He let go of his grip and dropped to the hard ground, making a loud crash upon landing. He did his best to keep his painful grunting quiet. It was then that he heard a voice. "Huh? Is someone there?" Sardec quietly made his way behind a natural rocky pillar as the figure approached. An armed guard in the same attire as his attempted assassins, approached the landing site. He looked around confused and began walking away. "I must be hearing things. Of all days, I get the night shift." As the guard walked away, Sardec readied his stolen AST-KK assault rifle and slowly walked in the guard's direction. Seeing no other guards nearby, Sardec approached within close quarters and smacked the back of the guard's head with the butt of the rifle, knocking him forward. The guard groaned in pain before Sardec smacked him a second time, rendering him unconscious. He grabbed the body and dragged it away, stuffing him in a crevice. Sardec then made his way deeper into the cavern. Reunion Sneaking past the various guards, Sardec found himself near Kellogg's office. He poke his head around a corner and saw a guard stationed in front of the door with something familiar floating near him. "Nirvana..." he whispered to himself. It was at that moment Sardec felt something pull him back aggressively. "Shhh" a voice whispered. "It's not safe here." Sardec was confused and distressed, but something about the voice seemed calming and reassuring to him. The dark figure brought Sardec to a small quiet room and removed his helmet. "Sardec. What happened to you? Kellogg said you were taken." "Nikida? Is that you? What do you mean 'taken'?" "Kellogg reported that you were ambushed on your last mission and that you were taken by the enemy. But he was so distant when I asked questions. Sardec, what really happened?" "He tried to have me killed. The whole mission was a sham. I left his assassins, the type of men that are guarding this cavern, unarmed and unconscious." "Damn him... he's increased security in case you'd come back. Why is he doing this?" "I don't know, but it may have something to do with something I discovered at Earth. While I was inside Murak's home base, I discovered a kind of virus that inhibits the Kartinava's physical performance. They slow down and start gurgling. It numbs their ability to control their host. There was an experimental version of the virus that accelerates the symptoms to nearly instant the moment a host is infected." "Why would they play around with such a thing?" Sardec tried to hide his smirk. "I don't know. But there were a lot of copies of the super virus. I was able to steal some and distribute them into Earth's air." "You don't mean...?" "Nikida... Every single Kartinava unit had dropped dead. The entire base fell silent." "You fumigated the whole planet? You are insane, Sardec." Sardec chuckled. "Does that mean Murak's dead?" "Unfortunately not. The virus only targets small creatures native to planet Hellus. Murak's so imbedded in his host that the virus didn't seem to detect him." "So what does that have to do with Kellogg?" "I brought extra copies back here. I think we can use this virus to fumigate UBW594244, UBP116, and even Hellus. This could be our key to destroying ever last one of them. The copies are in Kellogg's office. Nikida, I don't know why, but Kellogg doesn't want me to blow too big of a hole in the Kartinava's forces." "That bastard!" Nikida gritted her teeth. "Why would he abandon his own cause like that?" "I need to get into that office and grab the copies, but this whole place is heavily guarded. I don't know how I'm going to get in there." They both stood quiet for a moment. "I'll help you." "What? You would help me?" "Hell yes I'll help you. Kellogg may have lost his mind, but that is not going to stop us." "Nikida, you can't join me on this." "What?" "I can't have your life be put in danger. If Kellogg finds out about this..." "You think I care what he thinks now?" "Please! We can't get these innocent people involved. If you were to start an uprising, people will start turning on each other." Nikida stood silent. "Kellogg still needs to trust you. There are children under his care." "You're right." "If you want to help, no one can know you're helping." "How can I do that?" "We need to create a diversion. Something that will bring all the armed guards away from Kellogg's office." "I know where they keep the explosives." "Explosives? You want to blow a hole in the UNCC's only sanctuary?" "Not too big. Just enough to get them panicked. I'll set off the explosives and tell them the enemy's here." "It sounds risky. You'll have to sneak past the guards too." "I'll get my Harrier armor. Be on standby for my comms signal." "Wait, you're going now?" "I'll be fine. I'm a high ranking officer now. I know this place more than anyone who isn't Kellogg." "Well... be careful." A Quiet Distraction Sardec remained alone in the small room, waiting nervously for Nikida's signal. "Sardec. Are you there?" "Yes, I'm here. Is everything okay?" "Everything is set. No one has noticed. This area is unguarded. Once the explosives set off, wait until I say to go." "Okay. I'll be here..." A few moments later passed, and Sardec heard an explosion in the distance. The fire alarm sounded shortly after. People began rushing around, shouting in panic. "They're here! We're being invaded!" "Oh God! They found us again!" "I don't want to die!" Sardec's heart began pumping harder before he received a transmission. "Go, Sardec! Now!" Sardec opened the door and made his way to Kellogg's office, where the lone guard remained stationed. Having no other choice, Sardec readied his Phantom and charged at the guard. The guard was startled and struck by the hilt of the sword before he could react. The guard was knocked to his back and saw Sardec's sword facing him. "No! Please! I don't want to die!" "Hand over your weapon now!" The guard complied and tossed his AST-KK aside, followed by putting his hands up. At that moment, Nirvana began to fire at Sardec. The guard panicked. "Please don't kill me! I don't know how to control that thing!" "Authorize its new ownership to me." he said as he blocked its laser with his sword. "I authorize ownership to that guy over there!" Nirvana ceased and floated over to Sardec. "Hello user. I am Nirvana. I am here to help." "Thanks" Sardec said sarcastically and he turned his attention to the unarmed guard. "The door. Open it now." The guard complied and opened the door to Kellogg's office. "Now leave!" The guard ran off as Sardec entered Kellogg's office, He checked his desk and saw a locked drawer and struck it with his sword, breaking it open. He slid the drawer open and saw the copies of the virus. He grabbed all of them and placed them in his backpack. A Quiet Exit With all personnel moved to the explosion's area, Sardec made his way to one of the cavern's exits and reached the surface. "Nikida" he said over the comms. "I got the viruses. I'm going to head for the UBP116 terminal next. I cannot thank you enough for your help." "Whatever it takes, right? Everyone here is still convinced the Kartinava broke in. There's a hole in the ceiling that is believed to be used by them to steal the explosives." "Everyone is convinced?" "It seems so. But knowing Kellogg, he probably knows it was you. Security is going to become even tighter now. I wouldn't come back soon if I were you." "Hopefully I won't need to." "I wish I could come with you." "It would be ideal, but it's not realistic or wise." "I know... be careful, Sardec." "You too Nikida. Sardec, out." Sardec walked in the meadow until he found the transport drill exactly how he left it. He entered the cockpit and burrowed underground, far away from the cavern. Next: Chapter 23 Category:Blog posts